Iran proposes peace deal in Yemen as Houthi rebels are being pushed back. Yahoo/Reuters.

Saudi troops fire artillery into Yemen from the border. Yahoo/Reuters. 

Iran has proposed a peace deal in Yemen as their proxy army, the Houthi rebels, have been pushed back. Yahoo/Reuters. Loyalist troops in Aden have blunted the Houthi offensive and have begun to take back some lost ground. Houthi troops withdrew from the strategically important Khor Maksar district, which is home to Aden's international airport. The Saudis have been bombing the area heavily in an effort to keep Aden under the control of the Yemeni government. Iran put forward a peace proposal that called for a cease fire, humanitarian aid and talks between the Houthis and the other Yemeni factions. They also proposed a new government to replace the government in exile. 

My Comment:

Looks like the Saudi's air offensive is starting to pay dividends. If the Houthis really have been stopped in Aden then that is a turning point in the war. The fighters on the ground probably had a lot to do with it as well but the airstrikes killed a lot of fighters and disrupted their supply lines. That has a huge impact on what the rebels can do offensively. The war isn't over by any means but this does mean that Saudi Arabia may be able to avoid an all out assault on Yemen. 

The fact that Iran is calling for a halt to the fighting signals to me that they are in a position of weakness. Their proxy army in Yemen is getting pushed back. They can't really break the Saudi blockade and have no real way to reinforce the Houthis with arms and fighters. Iran may also be unwilling to risk a wider war with Saudi Arabia. That would be a disaster for Iran (and the whole world) and they may not be willing to risk it for Yemen. 

So will the war end anytime soon? Probably not but I think the Yemeni loyalist fighters will begin to push back the rebels even further. I think the coalition air campaign will continue for the foreseeable future as well. After all this is a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia and I bet the Saudis are chomping at the bit to remove the Houthi pawns from the chess board. It wouldn't be a major victory for them but it would be a set back for Iran. Since Iran has been rather successful lately in Iran and Syria, it would improve morale for the Saudis.

Of course Al-Qaeda is still reaping the benefits from this conflict. They have been fighting against the Houthis as well, though both sides of the conflict aren't focusing on AQAP all that much. I've said multiple times that this could be a boon for AQAP. They are taking and holding territory and they are also getting new recruits. Plus the United States ability to target them has decreased immensely with the fall of the Yemeni government. 

It's clear to me that the war in Yemen is a very destabilizing conflict. AQAP will go on to commit terror attacks that may even reach outside of the Middle East. The Houthi rebels may end up winning in the end, though that seems unlikely. The specter of a long term insurgency/civil war, like the ones in Iraq and Syria, seem like a real possibility. There is also a small but significant chance the conflict could spread out into a full blown war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In short, no good will come from it...